For What It's Worth
by shotted
Summary: The difficulties of having love develop in-between missions, friends, pre-genin, sorrow and nosy ex-students. KakaIru.
1. The Morning After

**This story will contain homosexuality, different pairings (with the emphasis on KakaIru) and lots of stuff.**

So yes! I am back. Or well, I haven't actually been here that well before. However, I bring to you a new story! I have no beta (contact me if you're interested) and I have no idea of where to go with this, it's just a little thing that's been brewing in my head for a long time now. So any ideas are quite welcome, I like to incorporate the suggestions of other's into my stories. It'll be mostly told from Iruka's point of view. I suppose that's all, please do read on! Oh and I haven't yet decided what time to put this into (well, after Naruto left the academy at the least) and things might seem off. Please tell me and I'll try fixing them.

Oh. **I own nothing**.

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There was a horrible echo to the silence surrounding the small, sleepy village. No sounds, not even the breath of the wind caused a stir in the surroundings, leaving the moon to cast its eerie glow on the rooftops. A lonely bird chirped in the trees and it seemed to set off a series of quick events. Three figures seemed to emerge from the woods, speeding towards the village at an unhuman pace, faces hidden two by white masks, one hidden in the shadows of a hood. Disappearing into the mansion in the middle, it became quiet yet again but the silence had changed into one of suspense, the calm before the storm. However, the storm did not break.

The three figures exited as quietly as they had, taking to the cover of the trees, leaving no trace of their existence. As the sun began to overtake the moon, the village slowly started bustling and the market began opening, only for this all to be halted by a sudden panicked bustling in the large building. Soon, the words was on everyone's lips. The rich family had been murdered, every last one of them. The shock was palpable but at the same time, there was the undercurrent of absolute thrill. Their suppressor had been gotten rid of and slowly, the village began waking to a new, brighter day. It was only nine in the morning when everybody knew and for once, the sound of the market was honestly happy and elated, with no strain or something hidden. It was the sound of a village, free of bounds, happy to exist.

A lone figure was crouched on a tree branch, watching the scene unfold. His hood was down, revealing tan skin only interrupted by a horizontal scar over his nose and soft, dark brown hair pulled up into a ponytail, warm mocha colored eyes intent on taking in the different nuances in the sounds. There was no expression on his face, apart from a slight softening in those beautiful eyes and the minuscule quirk at his lips. It seemed whenever a village was freed, one stayed. This however was only when Iruka was assigned to the team. A mere school teacher with a wide knowledge of traps, needed on the most sensitive missions. After all, who better to take care of a bunch of traps other than an Academy teacher, after all?

But how did the teacher take these missions? It was only so long he could keep convincing himself that it was for the good of the community, just long enough for him to reach his home and recall the sound of the last breaths of the victims, to see those pools of blood and to smell the tears. Iruka had never wanted to advance in the ranks but desperate times called for desperate measures and so he, also, was dispatched onto some of the more advanced missions just like this one, where he'd been on one with ANBU. One day, he'd be able to tell himself that things would be alright even after what he'd done, when he wouldn't have to stop and wait to see the reaction. He knew that today would not be that day and so he covered his face again, rose to his feet and silently sped back to his own village knowing he would make it just before his lesson was about to start.

As the familiar sight greeted his eyes, a smile curled the teacher's lips even if it wasn't quite as bright as it was. Making his way to his own small apartment, he toed off his shoes, snapped on the coffee maker, pulled off his outfit and immediately hit the shower. Washing off the lingering traces of the large mansion, he was slowly starting to feel human again and as he stepped out of the shower, he let out a soft sigh. Staring into the mirror, he knew his students would point out the dark circles under his eyes but at least he could say he'd stayed up, thinking of a pop quiz for them.

Making his way out of his bathroom, he drew in the gorgeous scent of freshly brewed coffee but before he allowed himself his treat he dressed, pulling on the standard outfit. Checking the pockets of his flak jacket, he made sure he had everything from his kunai to the first-aid kit and smirked at the feel of one of the drawings one of his students had given him. It was one of the first he'd gotten and it had brought him luck, which was why he carried it with him always, reminding himself of why he did this. Drawing up his hair, tying it and then tying on the forehead protector made him realise his purpose fully and he smiled. Not caring that he had not had any sleep, he made his way to his kitchen again to pour himself a cup of coffee. With the cup in hand he put on his sandals, grabbed a stack of books and papers and began making his way to the Academy.

It was just an ordinary day and the coffee served to wake him up nicely. Nodding and smiling to the people passing by, it was clear that the gentle-mannered chuunin was a well liked and known teacher. He was even caught for a moment chatting to a parent and quite quickly, the young mother's worries had been settled and she carried on with her grocery shopping, where as Iruka simply continued making his way to the Academy. The teacher's lounge was bustling with other's eating lunch and he stopped by only to refill his coffee cup before continuing into his class. A somewhat wistful look was cast out of the window – it was a beautiful day – before he simply took out the teaching plan for that day.

As the students started rolling in, he brightened up and welcomed every one, starting the day like he did every single day. It would have risen too many questions if the chuunin had been gone for even a day.

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**Author's note 19.1.2011: **Fixed the little problem there with the direction of Iruka's scar, sheesh, this is what happens when one doesn't have a beta! Thanks for noticing, reader/anonymous person and telling me about it!


	2. The After Party

If anything was a fact, it was that Iruka Umino did not have one boring day. They had been practicing throwing shuriken and kunai and as had been predicted, Iruka's med kit was almost used up when it came to bandages. No one had been seriously hurt – thank the gods – but in the end every single student had known not to touch the sharp sides. A long breath left him as the children headed off to lunch, leaving the teacher alone to gather up all the equipment and the targets, giving him ample time to think. However, the mission he had been on was draining him and just the thought of sleep threatened to make him fall comatose. He knew he needed coffee, but at the same time he knew he needed to get all the equipment to the storage closet. It took him three trips to get everything where it belonged and as he finally put the kunai away, he leaned heavily against the wall, a hand rising to pinch his nose. It was then that he finally noticed the pug next to him, almost giving him a heart attack.

"Not another mission, Pakkun?" He asked in a weary voice, eyeing the dog with some distrust for he was carrying a rather suspicious looking envelope. How the pug managed to look up at him in annoyance he'd never know, but he didn't dwell on it.

"No, the boss is inviting you to a party," he said with boredom in his voice, putting down the invitation in favour of scratching behind his ear, ignoring the clear surprise on Iruka's face. "Been running around giving those to everyone, so don't lose it. Had enough trouble dodging all those pups on the way." Not waiting for a reply, the dog left, leaving Iruka to gape slightly, only to draw in a deep breath. He was invited? His brow knitted together as he crouched to take the letter, staring at the rather plain 'Genma's. 11pm.' with his brow knitting, a suspicious creeping up his back, making him scrunch his nose in thought. This wasn't good. Or well, sure, it was alright. But the fact that he was invited simply because he'd been on a few ANBU missions as back-up (which was mostly useless and just ended with him getting more traumas) and thus the jounin considered him somewhat.. worthy? The teacher didn't like that thought.

A long sigh left his lips as he pocketed the invitation – not in the same pocket as the drawing – before gathering up his books and his teaching plan, starting to make his way to the mission room. It'd be one long day and if he was lucky, he just might catch a few hours of sleep in between the end of his mission room shift and the start of the party. Besides, if Kakashi was the one doing the invitations then he knew even if he came an hour late he'd be early enough. Sure, the drinking games would have started already but quite frankly, he was surprised if anything caught him off guard again. He'd come to realize the jounin acted almost like pre-genin, especially when they had alcohol in their blood.

With numerous thoughts running through his head the teacher made his way to Ichiraku's, quickly gulping down a bowl of ramen even if he knew he would regret it later. Thanking Teuchi and apologizing for not staying to chat, the chuunin was quick to make his way to the mission room, taking his place easily after those few mandatory greetings. It was a rather slow day – a depressing income for the village for that day – even if the amount of D-rank missions was astounding, which was also why a lot of genin teams went through the room. This, however, made Iruka feel a bit more on edge. Every jounin with a team seemed to look at him funny and it wasn't until one asked him whether he was coming to the part that warning bells set off. Was he going to be the butt of everyone's jokes in the gathering? The jounin, however, wisely began calming the teacher down when he saw a vein bulging in his forehead and it was clear that he was going to unleash his infamous temper if the man didn't shove it, or tell him what was going. The small group was quite swift in their exit.

The rest of his day was ruined. He was snapping at every single one – though not the customers – and if anyone even tried placating him they got a death-inducing glare. It was Genma who was brave enough to bring him a cup of coffee, which earned a smile from the chuunin and the rest of the day seemed uneventful, for there was always someone to refill his cup if it even threatened to empty. When the final mission was handed in, a long, pitiful sigh left Iruka as his forehead hit his desk. For a moment, he thought he'd fall asleep right there.

"Oi, Iruka!"

The teacher's head snapped up at the rather commanding, almost reprimanding tone and it took a while for his eyes to focus on the person in front of him, eyes narrowed as he was ready to said person as loud as he could and damn them to the pits of hell. However, before his temper could boil over, sense kicked in. He was staring at Kakashi Hatake and for a few moments he just blinked before a frown appeared onto the teacher's face. Sure, he was caught sleeping on the job but honestly! Having the Copy Ninja who was _always_ late catch him? It almost made him laugh and cry at the same time, showing just how tired he was.

"What do you want, Kakashi?" He asked, his tone weary.

"Just making sure you're coming to the party tonight!" The grey-haired man said with a wide smile, only to turn around and leave with a wave of his hand and that thrice-damned Icha Icha in his hand.

Iruka was left there to practically boil, a growl leaving his lips and as he stormed out of the mission room and into the streets, everyone stepped out of his way. His door received a rather harsh treatment after he'd disengaged the three locks and he could have sworn he heard the hinges give a rather protesting creak but instead of listening, he kicked the door closed with as much force before walking to his bed, setting his alarm and landing on his front. He was asleep before his head even touched the pillow. Thankfully, he did not dream.

A few – two and a half to be exact – hours later, his alarm clock went off.

The growl that came from the bed would have scared even Kyuubi away as the teacher pushed himself up, only to throw the offending piece of machinery into a wall. Iruka's disheveled body got up with a string of muffled, dark curses, his hair askew as he shrugged off his flak jacket. Looking down at himself he simply frowned. He didn't exactly have anything else to wear and so, he simply decided to go like that, in the black basic outfit. Looking at himself from the only mirror in the apartment he let out a soft, almost suffering sigh. He looked ordinary but somehow, the man doubted it could be helped. And so he simply pulled on his flak jacket, left his apartment and walked with deep dread. The closer he got to Genma's apartment, the louder it got.

Pausing, Iruka let his eyes travel over the building before he let out a deep sigh, wondering just why he had actually decided to come. Glancing behind himself, he was actually shocked to see the wild ruffle of grey hair and the dark mask, not having heard the other walking up to him.

"Let's go in," the other said without pocketing his porn.

Iruka groaned, cursed, earned an amused glance from Kakashi before he knocked on the door and was greeted by a very tipsy, _very _handsy Genma with Raidou trying his best to keep his lover at bay. It was going to be a long night.

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**Author's note**: Oh, an update in such quick succession! Let me tell you all, _reviews make my world go around_, and knowing just what you would like to happen in this party would be quite nice as well! I was thinking somewhere along the lines of having our favourite teacher tipsy, only to have Kakashi taking him home to bed before he ends up doing something he'll really regret. Sound good?


	3. The Hangover

**Disclaimer**: I own nothing. I just write for the fun of it.

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Iruka wasn't certain when he'd lost his shirt. He was also not aware when he'd been put up on the desk with his sandals somewhere and a pair of short shorts – he had the fleeting suspicion they were Anko's – but as it was, the former prankster was enjoying it. Sure, the copious amounts of sake and other varied alcoholic beverages had turned the generally sweet and innocent teacher into something completely different. His hair, however, was still up in that ponytail and only a few strands of hair had fallen to frame his face.

It was safe to say that the chuunin was absolutely plastered. Especially when a rather heavy weight shot at him, ending up with him sprawled on the floor, completely dazed as he looked up at the figure, almost puzzled to see Genma's face hovering above him and before he could voice his opinion, he had a pair of demanding lips on his. He was about to as where his senbon was, but at that moment that quite devilishly talented tongue was busy making him lose his mind. That might have also been the alcohol talking but before his drunken brain could decipher just what to do, the weight was pulled off of him and with dazed eyes he realised a rather pissed off looking Raidou was shoving his drunk lover into what Iruka thought was the bathroom.

The chuunin was left there, dazed, breathless and most of all aroused to the point of it being almost painful. As it was, there soon was a set of strong arms pulling him up and tugging on a shirt over his head, covering up the smooth brown skin. Leaning against the slightly taller form, Iruka looked up and seemed almost confused when he simply saw a clothed jaw and a lazy smile – at least so he thought, considering he could only see the outline of his lips.

"I believe it's time to go home, sensei," came the very amused voice and after a while Iruka realised that it was Kakashi. Oh, he'd been there the whole time, hadn't he? Iruka couldn't help the deep blush that covered his cheeks as his eyes lowered, teeth finding purchase on his lower lip. If anything, he was practically mortified now. He'd lost some serious face but before he could think, those strong hands had taken a hold of his hips and in a puff of smoke, they were gone. Or well, gone to Iruka's apartment that was. The chuunin gasped as his world settled down into one yet again and quite frankly, he was thoroughly confused as he looked up at the jounin holding him against a wall. Licking his lips he moved quicker then he would have thought was possible in his inebriated state as he pulled down that offending mask and pulled the silver-haired man into an aggressive kiss.

Heat spread through his blood like wild-fire as the Copy Ninja returned the kiss and pressed him harder against the wall, slender fingers pulling his hair loose without pulling out one strand of hair. Neither of them seemed to notice the way their teeth clicked together, or the way Kakashi's lower lip was bleeding slightly from a slight nick caused by Iruka's tooth. It was quite evident that neither was thinking as they desperately touched, groped and teased each other's body but as tan fingers found the edge of the jounin's shirt, the kiss softened and slowly broke, leaving Iruka panting and paralyzed on the spot. His cheeks were flushed with arousal, his scar standing out brightly as he tried to decipher what was going on and as he raised his eyes to look up at Kakashi he only met one, grey eye and was stuck staring for a while. Parting his lips, the teacher was about to say something only to be cut off by a slender finger pressing against his soft lips.

"I think it's time for you to head to bed, sensei," the Copy-nin said lazily, gently pushing himself away from the eager chuunin who voiced his annoyance with a little whine, seeming to be completely confused. Hands changed from being lustful to one's that guided the slight resisting chuunin into his bedroom and without further ado, he stripped the brunette of his shirt and tucked him into bed. Had Iruka not been already quite out of it he would have wondered how on earth the man had learned to put someone to bed so efficiently.

But there was a cocoon of warmth around him, provided by the comforter that was wrapped around him and the soft brush of lips of her forehead that provided to send the teacher to dream land. Of course, the mild genjutsu certainly helped Kakashi's case. For a long while, a tall shadow lingered by the sleeping man, simply guarding and watching him before his eyes snapped outside to see a hound waiting with a scroll. A deep sigh left the grey-haired man and he left through the window, though he had taken care to reinstate every single carefully placed trap.

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A deep, pained groan came from the depths of the warm cocoon, where a quite magnificently hung over schoolteacher was trying to get his bearings together. He should have known better than to drink that much but then again, there were so many factors and the mission had been a mess and then there was Ka- wait, what? Wracking his aching brain, the chuunin decided it was much too early and he was far too hungover to even think about what he'd done the previous night, kicking off the covers, he flinched as he felt some sort of constricting material serving as his boxers. With another groan he pushed himself up, practically whimpering as his head pounded, only to curse as he saw the sorry excuse of trousers he was dressed in. Oh, now he knew he'd danced on a table and the way his back was hurting, he hadn't come down from it with much grace at all. Grumbling as he stood up and shimmied out of the shorts, he ignored all of the mirrors as he made it into his bathroom and quickly took two pain killers from the medicine cabinet, chugging two down without any water.

Leaning against the sink for a few moments, he finally braved himself enough to lift his head enough for him to look into the mirror. Soft brown eyes widened as he saw his kiss swollen lips – he refused to believe that they were actually _bruised_ – and he let out yet another long string of curses. He should have been happy he hadn't woken in some other ninja's bed, then. Instead of congratulating himself of this astounding victory, he simply turned on the shower and stepped in before the water had even gotten the chance of heating up. Damn it, but he hated morning-after's especially when he hadn't the slightest idea what had happened and why his lips were tingling with phantom touches. Another deep growl left him as he finally stepped into the spray of water and he drowned out the noise of his thoughts underneath the pounding water current.

After half an hour of simply letting the water pound away at his sore muscles, he realised his headache was gone and he seemed a bit disoriented as he sluggishly washed himself, grumbling as he sorted the messy tangle that was his hair, before stepping out and drying himself off in a fluffy towel. He was slowly starting to feel more human and in fact, he realised that things were somewhat brighter. Which was why he headed for the kitchen, turned on coffee maker only to freeze. The events of the night hit him like a freight train and his eyes barely had time to widen before the school teacher fell ungraciously onto the floor.

"Oh.. fuck," he stated in a deceptively calm voice. The memory of those lips, those hands and _gods_ the memory of how it felt like to be pressed up against none other than the infamous Copy Ninja.. A shiver raced down his back and he had to bite back a moan. Hands came to tangle in his free hair and he tugged at it, the pain serving to clear his head.

He knew he shouldn't have come but as someone knocked on his door, he sprang into action. After all, he was in only a towel and putting his chakra to good use, he was pressed in a pair of sweat  
pants and a tank top in no time. Walking over to the door as if he hadn't just made a mad dash, he readied himself to yell at whoever it was for disturbing his peaceful, quiet morning. Of course, the fact that opening the door momentarily blinded him because of the bright sun didn't help things. Blinking owlishly – he didn't admit to flinching – the chuunin simply cleared his vision only to do an almost visible double take.

"Yo."

He would have much preferred Tsunade.

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**Author's rambling:**  
YES! I managed to push this out. Now you all have to be **_very_** proud of me. Oh, and thank you for all the reviews! Or well.. All four of them. I haven't gotten to replying to them - sorry - but I hope this collective thanks is enough! **Still looking for that beta**, since I'm relying on Opera's spell-checker to keep most of my typos at bay.

And before I forget, I am completely mystified by the amount of story alert's this little brainchild of mine has gotten! Thank you, thank you. You're stalking is what keeps my writing!


	4. The 'You What'

Iruka could only stare at the Copy Ninja at his door, his eyes widening and his skin both paling and reddening at the same time, creating a rather interesting effect. He simply stared for a long while – long enough for Kakashi to actually start to say something more – only for the chuunin to slam the door shut in his face. It took a split second for the teacher to become mortified with himself, banging his head on the door once before he opened the door again, a slight smile on his lips to try and smooth over the reaction he had had the previous time he had opened the door. The slight quirk in the corner of the Copy Ninja's eyes was the only indication of him being amused, but it was enough. At least he hadn't done anything irrevocably wrong, right?

"I'm sorry, Kakashi, good morning. What brings you here?" He asked, his voice soft and his smile gentle, trying to stay calm even as he could feel his nerves stretching and that steady beating headache starting at the very back of his head. Somehow, the masked man always made him tense, made him question every last thing that he did and the teacher did not appreciate it in the slightest.

"You forgot these," the silver-haired man drawled lazily, holding out a rumpled piece of cloth, making Iruka furrow his brow in question. Reaching to take the article of clothing, he was just about to thank him before he realized what the item was.

His underwear. Kakashi Hatake had had his underwear.

His mind screeched to a halt, eyes widened as he looked at the piece of cloth in his hand before he tossed it inside, turning his somewhat narrowed expression back to the man. The slight quirk had morphed into a very perverted smile and he had the deepest urge to simply slap him and send him on his way. Maybe he could even sic the children on him. In fact, that was a rather good idea. Lost in his thoughts, the teacher failed to reply and thus failed to even notice the way Kakashi had made his way closer, almost pressing their bodies together.

"You said something about liking them off, especially in my company," he husked in that sinful voice of his that was causing the brunette some serious heart palpitations, his whole body almost quivering with pleasure. Leaning in to Kakashi, the Academy Teacher could not help it. The man was just so… strong and mysterious, it was difficult trying not to be attracted to him. "And then you promptly passed out for a moment." The tone wasn't nice, it wasn't even seducing. It was just said in that very tone that was used when the other person _knew_ they could irk the other off pathetically easily. Iruka had realized it far too late, but then again, he doubted Kakashi had ever truly gotten his wrath before.

Iruka froze, his eyes narrowed and a deep growl left him. "I'll have you know that you were under no obligation to return my belongings, oh high and mighty Copy Ninja! Get out of my house, out of my life, I do not want to s-" His tirade was cut short by a pair of hard lips against his own, only to be followed by a lean body pressing him against the wall as he got the living daylights kissed out of him. He couldn't stop the breathy moan, his fingers winding their way into the ruffled silver spikes as he pulled the man closer to him. The kiss was heady and completely mind-blowing and as they finally broke apart, both of them were panting softly.

Meeting each other's eyes, the two seemed to almost be sizing each other up before Kakashi smirked and finally Iruka realized that he didn't have his mask on. His eyes widened and with a soft yelp he looked away, not wanting to disturb the man's privacy. An amused chuckle left the taller man and as a gentle grip caught Iruka's chin, tilting and turning his head enough for another kiss to be placed onto his lips. There was absolutely no resistance in the chuunin as he pressed up against him, letting his imagination fly. Especially when a hand found its way underneath his shirt he was practically quivering, only to whimper as Kakashi stopped.

"I'll see you around, sensei," came that sinful voice and before Iruka could even go on a rampage, the man had gone in a puff of smoke. The growl that left the chuunin was feral, desperation and frustration curling in his entire being as he was left aroused and completely mind-blown. Disbelief was the most prominent feeling in his system right in that moment – if he didn't count the persistant press of his trousers against his hardened manhood – wondering just how the hell the other ninja did it. It was almost… unnatural. Only then did his pissed off side kick in.

It wasn't every day that the famous Copy Ninja visited someone as normal as he was. Except right now, he wasn't normal. Right now Iruka fount that cleaning his apartment as shiny as he could get it was therapeutic and relaxing, only to remember he had to go to the Academy. With a quick reassuring glance – he had five minutes time! – at the clock, the brown-haired man had gathered his papers, closed the door, cursed and practically ran from his apartment towards the academy. It didn't do to be late – it was what he always told everyone else – and here he was, almost late himself. Another string of curses – all aimed at a certain jounin – left his lips and as he raced his way into the school building he couldn't help but pant. Sure, he could have jutsu'd his way but he was _trying_ to teach the children how to plan their time.

It wasn't really working, but at least he was only a minute late. Even so, the whole classroom was a mess and with a long sigh, he started the day with the topic being kunais. He couldn't keep his thoughts from returning to just how the man had felt against him an how easily he had gotten him to subject. What really disturbed him was the fact that he simply couldn't stop thinking about him.


End file.
